Page 58 of Wyoming Tough

“Your daughter was an idiot,” Mallory shot back. “She could have ruined her health. I thought she was what she claimed to be, a poor girl down on her luck who needed a job desperately!”

“I did need a job,” Morie said defensively. “I got sick and tired of men wanting me for what my father had instead of what I was!”

Mallory glared at Daryl.

Daryl grinned at him. “Wrong number,” he said defensively. “My folks are on the Fortune 500 list, and I have my own very successful businesses. I don’t need to marry money.”

“He had the same problem,” Morie replied. “That’s why we’re marrying each other.”

“Not true,” Daryl replied.

She gaped at him. “Not true?”

“She’s marrying me because I can do the tango,” Daryl said easily, and smiled down at her.

She shifted restlessly. “Well, yes. Most men can’t dance.” She looked pointedly at her father.

“Your mother didn’t marry me for my dancing skills,” King pointed out.

“Good thing,” Shelby agreed, and she seemed to unbend just a little. She looked past Mallory. “I believe your friend is motioning to you.”

He turned. Gelly was making frantic motions toward the door.

“She’s just afraid that she’ll be arrested before you can get her to an airplane,” Morie said with a pleasant smile. The smile faded. “And that might be the truth.”

Mallory felt like an insect under a magnifying glass. He knew he wasn’t going to change minds or win hearts here, not in this atmosphere. He’d have to go back home and do what he could to undo the damage. Morie was going to marry that handsome yahoo, was she? Not if he could help it.

“Don’t you marry him,” he told her firmly, nodding toward Daryl.

“Well, you can’t tango,” she said sourly.

“How do you know?” he replied.

“He isn’t staying long enough to demonstrate any dancing skills,” King said impatiently.

“I’m going.” Mallory turned away. But he hesitated. “We all make mistakes. It’s why they put erasers on pencils.”

“Some of us make bigger mistakes than others,” Morie replied. “I’ll concede that I shouldn’t have applied for work without telling you the truth. But you should have given me the benefit of the doubt,” she added coldly.

“Under the circumstances, that didn’t seem possible.”

“Not with your girlfriend planting evidence right and left,” Morie replied curtly.

“Not my girlfriend,” Mallory said quietly. “Not anymore.” He looked right into Morie’s eyes as he said it, and her whole body tingled.

“I’m getting married,” Morie informed him with a tight smile. “So don’t look at me to replace her.”

“Fat chance,” Mallory said with a glance at a glowering Kingston Brannt. “I’ll be damned if I’ll marry into any family he belongs to.”

“That goes double for my daughter!” King snapped.

Mallory looked at Shelby and shook his head. “You must be one gutsy lady.”

“Because I married him?” Shelby managed a smile. “He’s not so bad, once you get to know him.”

“Which you won’t,” King muttered. “Aren’t you leaving?”

“I guess I am,” Mallory agreed. He glanced at Morie again with faint pride and obvious regret. “You wouldn’t like to hear my side of it?”

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